Service box



Oct. 25, 1932. M. J. LEWIS 1,884,000

SERVICE BOX Filed May 3, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 25, 1932. M. J. LEWIS 1,884,000

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SERVICE BOX Filed May 3,1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 II n n ,7

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Patented Oct. 25, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MORGAN J. LEWIS, OF MASSILLON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO M. J'. LEWIS PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CANTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO SERVICE BOX Application filed May 3, 1928. Serial No. 274,809.

The invention relates to service boxes adapted for use at the entrance to bulldings for housing an electric meter, switch and fuses, and more particularly to a box of this general character adapted to be located upon the exterior of the building in order to permit the meter to be read, at periodical times, by an employee of the power company, without the necessity of entering the house; and the present application is for an improvement upon the entrance box disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 223,981, filed October 4, 1927.

The objects of the improvement are to provide a box of the character referred to for housing the meter, switch and fuses so that such parts are properly protected from the elements, and in such position that the dials of the meter will be visible from the exterior, permitting the same to be quickly and easily read; to provide for keeping all of the parts normally enclosed and locked against unauthorized access, and at the same time providing for ready, authorized access to the interior of the box in order to test the meter, make repairs and the like; to provide an auxiliary door giving access only to the fuses; to provide means whereby the door can only be opened when the switch is in open position; and to generally improve and simplify the construction of such devices.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved box, showing the switch in the closed or on position, and the cover and auxiliary door locked in closed position;

Fig. 2, a front elevation of the box, with the greater portion of the detachable cover removed to disclose the interior of the box;

Fig. 3, a vertical sectional view, through the boX, taken substantially on the line 3-3,

Fig. 2;

Fig. 4, a fragmentary sectional view, showing the joint between the box and the detachable cover, taken substantially on the line 4-4, Fig. 3;

Fig. 5, an enlarged sectional view, taken substantially on the line 5-5, Fig. 2, showing the switch closed and the door and cover locked in closed position;

Fig. 6, a similar view, showing the switch 1n open position and the auxiliary door partly open;

Fig. 7, a similar view, showing the switch in closed position and the auxiliary door in position to close;

Fig. 8, a fragmentary plan view of the swditch and switch operating mechanism; an

Fig. 9, a fragmentary sectional view, as on line 99, Fig. 8.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The box is preferably of rectangular shape and of sufficient length to house the meter 1, switch block 2 and fuse block 3. Suitable means may be provided upon the box for attaching the same to the outer wall of a building, such as the ears 4 provided with perforations 5 for the reception of screws. nails or the like. I

The top wall 6, side walls 7 and bottom Wall 8 may be formed integrally with or permanently attached to the back wall 9 of the box. An upturned flange 10 may be provided at the forward edge of the top wall 6 at a point spaced slightly in rear of the front edges of the side walls, and the lower wall 8 may be provided at its forward edge with the depending flange 11 having an aperture 12 therein.

The panel 13, of wood or the like is connected to the inner surface of the back wall, preferably at a point spaced from the lower end of the box, as by the screws 14, for the purpose of supporting the meter 1 and switch block 2.

The switch block may be formed of any suitable insulation material and provided with suitable terminals for leading wires to and from the meter and if desired, with the usual sockets to receive the fuses 15.

The switch 16 may be of the usual pivoted knife blade type having a plurality of blades as shown in Fig. 2, arranged to be operated as by the crank bar 17 provided with a lever handle 18 extending through one side of the box.

The cover 19 may be of substantially the same depth as the box throughout the greater portion of its length and comprises the front wall 20, side walls 21, the forwardly and downwardly inclined top wall 22 having the depending flange 23 at its rear edge adapted to overlap the upright flange Epon the front edge of the top wall of the The cover is provided with the substantially horizontal wall 24 near its lower end to which is fixed the lower front wall portion 25 having an opening 26 to permit access to the fuses 27 upon the fuse block 3.

This opening is preferably surrounded with the curved flange 28 in order to prevent moisture or water from draining into the interior of the box, this flange forming a trough or groove to drain the water around the opening 26.

The lower front wall 25 may have a depending flange 29 formed thereon provided with an opening 30 adapted to register with the opening 12 of the flange 11 on the box proper.

A pivoted latch 31 may be carried by one of these flanges and provided with the U- shaped or channel portion 32 adapted to receive the flanges 11 and 29 and having apertures 33 therein arranged to register with the apertures 12 and 30, whereby a wire or the like may be passed through the apertures for sealing the cover upon the box to prevent unauthorized access to the interior thereof.

The upper portion of the front wall 19 is provided with an opening 34 registering with the dials 35 of the meter and provided with the glass panel 36. This panel may be shielded as by the hinged lid 37 which may be raised for the purpose of reading the meter.

An auxiliary door 38 is hinged as at 39 upon the lower front wall 25 and arranged to normally cover the opening 26 which provides access to the customers fuses 27.

In order to co-ordinate the position of the switch with the operation of the auxiliary door as well as the removal of the cover proper, mechanism is provided for preventing the opening of the auxiliary door or removal of the cover when the switch is in closed position.

Th s mechanism may include a reciprocating bar 40 provided at its upper end with a slot 41 to receive one crank arm of the crank bar 17.

Ears 42 are provided upon the crank arm, above and below the bar to properly position the same with reference to the cranl arm. This bar is provided at its lower portion with an angular flange 43 and a coil spring 44: may be located between the back wall of the box and the bar for normally urging the bar forward or outward.

The front flange 45 of this bar terminates at the point 46, spaced from the lower end of the bar and an inclined notch 47 is formed in the side flange 43 of the bar at this point.

A lever 48 is pivoted as at 49 to a bracket 50 carried by the back wall of the box and is provided with a slot 51 through which the flange 4-3 of the bar is adapted to reciprocate.

A spring 52 is provided upon the lever for normally urging the same toward the upper end of the box. A hook is formed at the upper end of the lever for engagem with the notch in the ear which carried by the auxiliary door 38 and adapted to extend through the slot 56 in the lower front wall The lower end of the ear is provided with the cam portion for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The lower end of the flange 23 upon the bar -10 is slidably located through a slot formed in a bracket 58 carried by the adjacent side wall of the box and adapted to be engaged by the straight shoulder 59 ot the notch 45' when the switch is in open position as shown in Fig. 6.

Vith the parts in the position shown in Fig. 5, in order to open the auxiliary door 38 or to remove the cover proper from the box, it is necessary to throw the switch into the open position.

As the switch is opened, the bar -10 will be rcciprocated downward or toward t ie lower end of the box, the flange e3 i-liding through the slot 51 until the termination 46 of the front flange 45 engages the lever 18 and moves the same to disengage the hook 53 from the notch 54.

As the switc'ri reaches the fully opened position, the ring will throw the bar into the position shown in said figure, engaging the straight ihoulder 59 of the notch ''ith the bracket 58 and the inclined portion of the notch engaging the top of the slot 51, holding the parts in this position.

The hook 53 upon the lever is thus held out of engagement with the notch in the ear and the auxiliary door 38 may be opened as shown in Fig. 6, permitting access to the fuses 27.

By removing the seal wire through the flanges 11 and 29 and opening the catch 31, the entire cover may be removed from the box with the parts in this position.

if it is desired to close the switch while the cover removed, the same may be accomplished by manually depressing the bar 40 until the same diienga 'ed from the bracket 58. at which time the tch may be closed.

The cover may he then replaced upon the box and in order to close the auxiliary door 38, the same may be accomplished shown in Fig. 7.

As this door is closed, the cam portion a of the ear 55 will engage the hook 53 upon the lever 48 and swing the same toward the lower end of the box sufliciently to permit the ear to reach the normal closed position of the auxiliary cover, at which time the spring 52 will move the lever into locked position, en-

gaging the notch of the ear as shown in Fig. 5 and thus holding the auxiliary door and cover proper in locked position until the switch is opened.

I claim:

1. An entrance box arranged to house a switch and fuse block, a cover for the box provided with an offset portion having an opening to afiord access to the fuse block, an auxiliary door for normally covering the opening, a reciprocating bar operatively associated with the switch and means operated by the bar for locking the door in closed positon and simultaneously preventing removal of the cover when the switch is in closed position.

2. An entrance box arranged to house a switch and fuse block, a cover for the box provided with an offset portion having an opening to afford access to the fuse block, an auxiliary door for normally closing the opening, a reciprocating bar operatively associated with the switch and a lever operated by the bar for locking the door in close-d position and simultaneously preventing removal of the cover when the switch is in closed position.

3. An entrance box arranged to house a switch and a fuse block, a cover for the box hinged at one end and provided with an offset portion at the other end having an opening therein to afford access to the fuse block, a hinged auxiliary door for normally closing the opening, a reciprocating bar operatively associated with the switch, and a lever operated by the bar for locking the door in closed position and simultaneously preventing removal of the cover when the switch is in closed position.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

MORGAN J. LEWIS. 

